Observations from the Padded Cell, home of the Resident Idiot of Blogdom, who is let out, occasionally.

Tuesday, December 08, 2015

OF CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM

I don't know a lot about Islam, I know more about Christianity, and do my best to live according to the Biblical prescription for an abundant life.

I posed a couple questions to Russell Moore, on Facebook, and I think I want to ask them here, as well.

What is a "Radical Christian"?

How would you tell if someone were a "radical", as opposed to a "nominal" Christian?

How would you define a "Radical Muslim"?

How would you tell if someone were a "radical", as opposed to a "nominal" Muslim?

How many people, who are not of the Muslim faith, know all the tenets of the Islamic faith?

How many Christians ... say, as a percentage ... are "radical Christians?

How much of the Christian faith can you determine by observing a "nominal" Christian?

How much about Islam can you determine by observing a "nominal" Muslim?

Ask yourself this: Is it normally the desire of a pastor that his flock be composed of radical Christians? Does he preach to help his members attain that?

I would like to have a chat some time with someone who has read the entire Koran, and can tell me what it really says. What instructions it really does give to its followers.

I fear we nay be shadowboxing with the election and immigration and Donald Trump and the refugees, and in fact with the future of our nation until and unless we really, really have the answers to those questions.

1 Comments:

I may be able to answer a few questions here. I don't think the term "radical" or "radicalized" is used in the same way when discussing Christianity and Islam.

There are probably about as many differing interpretations and practices within Islam as there are denominations within Christianity. But while Christianity has moved away from a state church, Islam is still very closely tied to the political leadership of the states where it is predominant. Radical Islam is a movement back toward a literal interpretation of the Koran at the time it was written. It has its roots in the various elements of Islam, Shia' or Shi'ite, Sunni and other sects which disagree on the means of succession of the Prophet Mohammed. It is on the rise because of increased Western Foreign involvement in the Middle East, especially in areas that Islam considers sacred or holy, and they see this as something that is both an invasion of their autonomy, as well as something which is displeasing to God. That's one of the reasons why many people see it as important for Muslim armies, from Muslim countries, to be the troops on the ground in eliminating ISIS, because the Muslim community in Syria and Iraq won't accept a regime put in place by what they see as Western imperialism.

It is clear that most Muslims live in the modern world, with a more modern interpretation of their faith, and the Koran. There are hundreds of thousands of Americans who dwell in Muslim countries in safety, perhaps even safer than in the US, where 30,000 people a year are killed in gun violence. So the radical elements are small, but deadly. It might take a book to explain all the nuances of it.